Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Online Privacy Statement

Our Mission

At Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., we are dedicated to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your personally identifiable information. Starwood's mission is to consistently exceed our guests' expectations in terms of the products and services we provide to our business and leisure travelers. We strive to create an experience that is responsive to our guests' needs by using the information you entrust us with responsibly. Starwood is committed to respecting your privacy and adhering to the principles of applicable data protection and privacy laws throughout the world.

We have provided this Privacy Statement as an explanation of the information we collect, how we use it, and how the use of this information can benefit your experience on our web sites and during your relationship with us. We wish to help you make informed decisions, so please take a moment to read the sections below.

THE WORLD OF STARWOOD:

In order to provide multiple access points to the services and products we offer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. operates directly, or through its affiliates or service providers, many web sites, including www.starwoodhotels.com, www.starwoodvo.com, www.sheraton.com , www.stregis.com, www.westin.com, www.luxurycollection.com, www.whotels.com , www.alofthotels.com, www.lemeridien.com, www.preferredguest.com, www.spg.com, www.fourpoints.com, and www.starwoodgolf.com. Any one of these web sites may ask for and collect personally identifiable information in order to enhance your experience and provide you with relevant information.

TYPES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT:

Starwood collects information about our guests and visitors to our web sites so that we can provide an experience that is responsive to our guests' and visitors' needs. Information may be collected as part of: (i) fulfilling reservation or information requests, (ii) purchasing products, (iii) registering for program membership, (iv) submitting a job application, or (v) responding to communications from us (e.g., surveys, promotional offers, or reservation confirmations). We endeavor to collect information only with your knowledge and with your permission if necessary. The types of personally identifiable information that we collect may include your name, home, work and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers, credit card information, date of birth, gender, and lifestyle information such as room preferences, leisure activities, names and ages of children, and other information necessary to fulfill special requests (e.g., health conditions that require special room accommodations).

Starwood may also collect non-personally identifiable information about you, such as your use of our web sites, communication preferences, travel habits, aggregated data relative to your stays, and responses to promotional offers and surveys.

PURPOSE FOR COLLECTION, PROCESSING, AND DISCLOSURE:

Collection & Use

Starwood is fully committed to providing you with information about the collection and use of personally identifiable information (PII) furnished by, or collected from, visitors while using our web sites, products and services. It is our practice not to ask you for information unless we need it or intend to use it. Some of the primary purposes for collecting your PII are as follows:

providing services such as processing a transaction (e.g., making a reservation, fulfilling a request for information, or completing a product order)
marketing and communications with you in relation to the products and services offered by Starwood, our strategic marketing partners, and other trusted third parties
performing market research via surveys to better serve your needs, improve the effectiveness of our web sites, your hotel experience, our various types of communications, advertising campaigns, and/or promotional activities

You will always be offered the choice not to submit your PII or to decide what communications you want to receive from us. However, doing so may cause certain transactions to become affected. For example, not providing a name will prevent the processing of reservations.

Processing and Disclosure

In most cases, the information you provide is added to a local or global database. In the course of processing your information, it may be necessary to transfer your PII to Starwood's affiliates, properties within the Starwood system and/or third party service providers located in the United States and throughout the world for the purposes outlined within this Privacy Statement. As a general practice, Starwood does not sell, rent, or give physical possession of your PII to unaffiliated third parties outside the Starwood system. Situations in which Starwood may disclose your information to others include:

when we have received your consent to do so
in situations where sharing or disclosing your information is required in order to offer you products or services you desire (e.g., a vacation package)
when companies or services providers that perform business activities on behalf of Starwood require such information (e.g., credit card processing, customer support services, market research administration or database management services)
when a hotel or other property leaves the Starwood system and access to your PII is necessary to facilitate business operations or meet contractual obligations
in the event Starwood is merged or acquired by another company
to comply with legal or regulatory requirements or obligations in accordance with applicable law or court order
in case of emergency such as to safeguard the life, health, or property of an individual

If information is shared as mentioned above, we seek to limit the scope of information that is furnished to the amount necessary for the performance of the specific function. Unless otherwise precluded by legal process, we require third parties to protect your PII and abide by applicable privacy laws and regulations.

Special Offers

Reservation